Not in Our Lifetime

(Photo supplied by Unsplash.com)

The coronavirus pandemic is not leaving anyone unscathed. People across the globe are suffering, and elders are among those facing a real threat. 

Not only is their health at risk, but their day-to-day lives and social interactions are also being affected by this global pandemic, just like the rest of us. For people who rely so heavily on routine, this unexpected change is anything but welcomed.

Adele Coughlin is 88 years old and lives by herself in Dover, Massachusetts. Her entire life is being altered by coronavirus, forcing her to adapt to this new norm. 

“My days are different now,” Coughlin said. “It’s creepy, and it’s quiet.”

Coughlin is a very active member of her community, who stays busy by keeping her schedule full. The absence of her various activities has changed her daily routine. 

“I belong to a garden club and a book club and do trivia in the library, and all of those things you get used to every day are gone,” Coughlin said. “It’s pretty miserable being by yourself, but there’s not much you can do about it.”

Patricia Vacca lives with her daughter in Westwood, Massachusetts, and is 84 years old. Even though she does not live alone, she said she still feels the effects of isolation. 

“My daughter and her husband are busy all the time since they’re working full-time from home,” Vacca said. “We’re not conversing too much because they don’t want us together.”

Vacca said she still maintains a daily routine but misses being social. “I can still watch TV and read a book. I just can’t go to the library, and I can’t see any of my friends,” Vacca said. 

She is doing her best to stay active too, weather permitting. 

“I can still take walks, which I like and do twice a day,” Vacca said. “I’ll go in the morning and then again with my daughter when she’s on her lunch break and we take the dog.”

For Coughlin, the only social interaction she gets is from talking to friends and family on the phone. “Everybody calls,” Coughlin said. “Every friend you’ve ever had and family member calls.”

While Coughlin enjoys hearing from her loved ones, she said she misses enjoying meals with others and running her daily errands. 

“Going out to eat or eating with a friend is fun because you talk,” Coughlin said. “So instead of having lunch with the Dover Council on Aging or lunch with my book club, it’s lunch by myself.”

Although no one sees her all day, Coughlin still does her hair and makeup each morning.

“At first I didn’t bother to put makeup on or put earrings in, and I found that’s not a good idea,” Coughlin said. “I think putting it on and combing my hair is important, and it keeps a regular routine.”

Mary Jane Forte is 84 years old and currently lives at Discovery Senior Living in Bonita Springs, Florida. Despite the chaos surrounding the virus, most of her daily life has remained the same. 

“Being in my eighties I haven’t noticed that much of an effect,” Forte said. “I’m not out running around doing the things I used to love.”

For the time being, no one is allowed to exit or enter Discovery Senior Living to ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone who lives there. Forte’s daily walks outside are now taking place up and down the hallway. But aside from that, she said not much in her life has changed.

“I’m still eating the same and going on my walks, so I’m not doing anything different,” Forte said. “I am watching more TV to keep informed and see if we’re improving.”

Coughlin said she is trying not to watch the news as much, since she finds it upsetting.

“I watch the news in the morning with my coffee and then at noon, and I think that’s enough,” Coughlin said. “If I watched it all day, I’d be so depressed that by dinner time I wouldn’t even be able to eat.”

All three women agree that this is the craziest period of time they have ever experienced. 

“It’s a very strange world we’re living in,” Forte said. “I’ve never been through anything like this, and it’s far more concerning than anything I’ve ever had in my lifetime.”

Coughlin compared the crisis today to the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918.

“I remember my father telling me about the flu pandemic back around 1920, with caskets piling up everywhere,” Coughlin said. “Someone mentioned it the other day, and it reminded me of this.” 

Staying safe and healthy is the top priority for all three women, although none of them have implemented any extra safety measures so far. 

“I’m not taking any extra precautions since there’s not much else I can do,” Vacca said. “Hopefully it will go away, but not knowing when it’s going to end makes it scary.”